Gentari and PLUS have launched a new type of charging station for electric vehicles dubbed the EV Fast Charging Modular and Portable Station with Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). While it is a mouthful, it is the first of its kind in Malaysia with the first site being set up at the Behrang Lay-by (Northbound) on the North-South Expressway.
The integrated chargers at the Gentari station are assisted by solar panels as well as the aforementioned batteries, which will help fill in the gaps in some areas with insufficient grid capacity. Each site has four charging points and a DC charging power of up to 200kW. There are four sites being proposed along PLUS highways including the Behrang Lay-by (Northbound and Southbound) in Perak as well as the Senawang Lay-by (Northbound and Southbound) in Negeri Sembilan.
Gentari says that these sites will be rolled out in phases in 2023 and 2024. Aside from those four, there are three other locations being proposed, namely Ajil (Northbound and Southbound) and Rest and Service Area (R&R) sites on Perasing, which are all on the Lebuhraya Pantai Timur 2 (LPT2) highway in Terengganu.
Moreover, the company added that the Alternating Current (AC) charging points at existing Petronas petrol stations at PLUS’ R&Rs and lay-bys are being upgraded to Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) points. PLUS Managing Director Nik Airina Nik Jaffar highlighted that together with the Ministry of Works and the Malaysian Highway Authority, it aims to install 100 DCFC charging stations across its highways by 2025.
(Source: Gentari/ PLUS Press Release)
